Folding bed.



PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.

N. SILVERSON.

FOLDING BED.

PATBNTED JAN. 14, 1908.

N. S ILVERSON. FOLDING BED. APPLICATION FILED AUG.24. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

.91 a illhmWWW lxlm' eo H my a .0 L m WW MAM l vitnesses NATHAN SILVERSON, OF NEW YORK, N Y.

FOLDING BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed August Z4. 1906- Serial No. 331-906.

T all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN SILVERSON, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others 1 skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The primary-object of this invention is to provide an improvement in folding beds, having special reference to such as may be erected in the walls of a room so that when closed there will be no obstruction of the floor space. v

Further objects of the invention are the provision of improved means for mounting the pivoted structure and so arranging the parts that they may be 'readily dismantled or adjusted and the bed easily operated; to provide improved means for counter balancing the weight of the bed and preventing its accidental closing; to provide legs for supporting the bed in its open position and capable of being accommodated by the inclosing frame and hidden from view when the bed is closed;.to improve the construction of the bed springs; and to equip a bed of this character with improved means for holding the mattress and bed clothes.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows the exterior appearance of the bed when closed. Fig. 2 shows the foot of. the bed, its supporting legs and the manner of securing the mattress and bedcovers. Fig. 3 is a plan view partly broken away withthe supporting structure in section. Fig. 4 1s a detail. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section view showing the bed open. Figs. 6 and 7 are details. v

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a frame designed to contain the entire movable structure 2 when .the bed is' closed. This frame is primarily intended to .be erected in the walls of a house as, for instance, in a door way betweentwo rooms so that when the bed is closed the entire structure will occupy a space within the thickness of the building walls or be about flush with the latter. The frame 1 may, however, be of-cabinetdesign, movable and suitably ornamented to present the appearance of a piece of furniture. It is also desirable that the movable portion of the bed when closed shall present the external appearance of a room. door or of an'article offurniture, as, for instance, a wardrobe having doors hinged to the frame. This idea is present in the construction shown in Fig. 1.' It will be understood, however, that it is merely the design of doors 3 that is contemplated and likewise the knob or handle and upper hinges 4 and lower hinges 5, although the knob furnishes a convenient means of opening the bed and the lower hinges 5 are associated with other features of construction as will be hereinafter described.

The bed is pivotallyconnected to the frame by two shafts 6 disposed in alinement and passed through the side pieces 7 of the bed into keeper plates 7 set in recesses formed in the inner opposite faces of the side walls 8 of the frame 1 and constituting 'trunnions in which the bed may be rocked and supported. Each of the shafts 6 is threaded near its inner end and the threaded portions are passed through ears 9 mounted on lates 10 secured tothe bottom 12 of the be By means ofnuts 13 on each of the shafts and on opposite 'sides of the ears 9 the shafts may be t'urned to withdraw them from the trunnions to remove the bed from its support, or to project either or both of the shafts further into the trunnions in the event of their becoming loosened andv causing too much play between the bed and its frame. It is desirable that the shafts shall normally bear attheir extremities against the inner walls of the recesses.

If the Wei ht of the bed at its pivoted portion were orne solely b the side pieces 7 there would be considerab e strain thereon which would necessitate a stronger construction of side pieces than is ordinarily employed. I avoid this necessity by means of the lower hinges 5 which while merely imitations so far as concerns the office of a hinge, are so secured to the bed that the portions 14 resembling the ears and intles and the leaves 15 may form braces or the slde pieces 7 and relieve the strain thereon.

This is shown in Fig. 7 where the'pintle portion 14 is secured to the outer face of the bottom of the bed near its edge and the leaf.

portion or plate 15 is extended over the buter ace of the side piece 7 of the bed and suitably secured thereto and formed with an aperture 16-reg1ster1ng w1th that of the side piece and accommodating the shaft 6.

In utilizing the idea of a counter weight movable with the bed Lhave had for my purpose such an even balance as would enable anyone to operate the bed and avoid its suddenly reaching its opened or closed ositions, and one in which the danger of the bed accidentally closing would be reduced to a minimum. With these objects in view I have provided the upright frame with recessed portions in the opposite walls 8 to accommodate the weight at either side of the plane of the bed. In each of the recessed portions 1 have shown oppositely disposed strips 17 having guides or channels 18 in their inner faces, such strips being connected at or near their tops by bridges or cross pieces 19 forming stops and having buffers 20, preferably formed by coiled s rings depending from their under sides. dimilar buffers 21 are designed to be arranged at the bottoms of the guides or channels 18. These may be mounted on bridges or cross pieces similr r to those designated by 19 or they may be supported as shown in Fig. 5 by the flor ring of the frame or cabinet. The weight-carrying frames 22 are movable in the guides 18 and each frame has an upper cross h :ad 23 and a lower cross head 24 designed, respectively, to contact with the buffers 20 and 21 according as the bed may be in its open or closed position.

25 designates a cross piece at the inner end or head of the bed in the rear of the fulcrum furnished by the shafts 6, such cross piece having slotted ears or lugs 26 mountedthereon near its ends. To these ears or lugs are pivoted the lower ends of arms 27 carry ing at their upper ends a rigid bar 28 projecting beyond each of the arms 27 into the weight-carrying frames 22 beneath the upper cross heads 23 thereof and in engagement when the bed is lowered or open.

with the latter. Suitable keepers are necessary to maintain bar 28 in the proper relation to the weight-carrying frames and the bed, and these it provide by means of pins 29 projecting downwardly through the cross heads 23 and sufficiently spaced apart to allow of a slight axial turn of the bar when rising or lowering.

At 30 T have shown plate springs secured to the upper edge of bar 28 and having their free ends bearing against the under faces of the cross heads 23.

The head board of the bed is shown at 31 hinged to bar 28 intermediate the arms 27.

32 designates pins rigidly secured to the cross piece 25 at the'rear edge thereof and rojecting upwardl or toward the foot of the ed. The ofiice 0 these pins 32 is to hold the lower free end of the head board outwardly so that the head-board will be inclined at an angle to the bed and furnish an appropriate support for pillows.

The operation of the counter-weights and their complementary parts will be readily understood from the foregoing. The weightcarrying frames are I supported by bar 28 in bringing the bed to this position it does not depend upon the strength of the operator to prevent its falling since by the time the bed has provide yielding supports for the weightcarrying frames and render the operation of the bed noiseless. In the opening movement of the bed the pins 32 will be brought into such position as to bear against the head-board and swing it outward from its support which is maintained in a relatively straight and approximately vertical position by the keepers 29, the support turning on the pivotal connection of arms 27 to cars 26 in maintaining this position. When the bed is raised or closed the action of the buffers 21 will be the same as that described with reference to the upper buffers andas the pins 32 are swung downwardly or away from the head-board the latter will assume a vertical position and not interfere with the closing of the bed. The head-board will assume this position by gravity as is obvious but if desired a spring may be provided tending to normally hold it vertical.

To provide supporting legs for the bed when open and yet maintain the idea of a wardrobe or other article of furniture, when not in use, it is essential that means be provided for concealing the supports and yet permit of their being readily brought into operative position. To this end I have rabbeted the footboard 33 near its ends or just within the planes of the inner faces of the side pieces 7 as shown at 34 and extended the bottom of the bed a short distance beyond the foot-board to form a ledge 35. Plates 36 are accommodated by the rabbeted portions of the foot-board and are designed to move freely in engagement with the inner faces of the side pieces between suitable guides 37, the outer ends of. the plates without the foot-board being apertured to receive a rod 38 forming pivotal connections for the legs 39 which latter are rounded on their inner ends as at 49 and suitably braced as at 4:1.

42 designates bow or plate-springs which I have shown secured to the bottom of the bed and having their free ends projected through slots in the side pieces 7, ropes or chains 43 connecting the ends of the springs to the legs at points thereof intermediate their feet and pivotal connections to rod 38. From this construction it will be seen that the tendency of the springs 42is to hold the legs in a vertical position, such as they-assume when the bed is open, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 or when they are turned up to be accommodated by frame 1 when the bed is closed. When the legs are to be used for supporting thebed the operator may grasp the brace 41 and turn the legs outwardly. This swinging movement will be only about the center formed by the pivotal connections of the legs to rod 38 until the legs have assumed an approximately horizontal position, or are on a dead center with relation to' the tension of the springs 42, the roundedends 40. of the legs having until that position is assumed turned in engagement with foot-board 33. Upon further lowering the legs the latter will contact with ledge 35, forming a center or fulcrum at that point which will cause the plates 36 to be drawn outwardly. When the egs have assumed their operative position as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 they will be in engagement-with the outer edge of the ledge 35 and it will be noted that the action of the springs 42 is to tend -to hold them in this position. By this means the legs may be readily operated but are held sufficiently rigid in their open position to preclude the possibility of ii iclrliidentally turning and allowing the bed to It is essential that folding beds of the class to which my invention relates be equipped with springs for furnishing a resilient support for the mattress, and with means for securing the mattress and bed covers to the folding structure so that they will be retained in place when in a vertical position. It is also important that the means by which these purposes are attained be capable of. easy 0 eration and without dismantling ,the me-. cfianical structure. The springs proper may comprise metallic bands 44 disposed longitudinally of the bed and connected with a transverse piece at the inner end of thebed by coiled springs 45. This construction duplicated at the foot of the bed would afford sufficient resiliency While the springs maintained their tension but in order to provide for adjusting this tension 1 have formed the transverse beam 46 at the foot of the bed with channels or grooves 47 in its upper face and secured to the beam an angle-iron 48 eX- tending artly over the u per face and outer edge of t e beam, the ang e-iron having slots in its angular portion 49 registering with channels47 and designed, witli the channels, to accommodate elongatedv U-shaped hooks 50 forming the connection for coiledsprings 51 secured to thebands 44. (SeeFig. 4.) The portions of the hooks 50 extending through the channels and slots are threaded to receive nuts 52 hearing against the angular portion 49 of the angle-irons. By rotating these nuts the hooks may be moved in or out to increase or lessen the tension of the spring support.

The mattress 53 rests upon, the springs and at its outer end I have shown loops or tabs 54 i designed to be sli ped over eye-bolts 55 in' the outer face of t 1e foot-board 33and held by the shanks thereof as shown. To securely hold the bed covers 56 the surplus portion thereof, or'that which is usually folded beneath the mattress at the foot of a stationary bed may be passed around a rod 57 removably held by the eye-bolts 55 andfolded back upon itself and pinned or otherwise secured as at 58. I

The advantages of my invention are apparent. The structure may be permanent y erected within a door-way or it may be a movable article of furniture. The means for counterbalancing the weight of the bed renders it easy of operation and precludesthe danger of its accidental closing since the lower buffers resist the closing movement until the bed has almost assumed a vertical position when its pivot supports, being out of alinement with its center of gravity, the weight of the bed will overcome the resistance of the lower buffers and cause the bed to close.

t It will be noted that the legs of the bed and the spring devices as well as the means for securing the mattress and the bed clothes are effectively designed yet capable of being easily operated.

I claim as my invention 2- 1. In a folding bed, a frame or support having vertically movable weights on both sides thereof, a bed pivoted in said frame and" having a transverse bar for engagingsaid weights whereby the opening movement of said bed is against the force of said weights springs depending from near the topof said frame or support designed to form yielding contacts for said weights when said bed is opened, and springs at the bottom of said su port to form buffers for said weights when said bed is closed.

2. In a folding bed, a frame or support, a bed pivoted thereln, guides or channels in said frame, a weight-carrying frame movable in said guides or channels, a bridge spanning the space intermediate said guides or channels above the range of movement of said weight-carrying frame, a spring depending from said bridge and designed to engage said weight-carrying frame, and connections between the latter and said bed.

3. In a folding bed, the combinationwith the support having vertically movable weight carrying frames in its opposite walls, of a bed pivotally mounted in said support andhaving an extension beyond its pivotal connection to the support, and a bar pivotally mounted on said extension and in engagementwith said frames.

4. In a folding bed, the combination with the support having vertically movable weight carrying frames in its. opposite walls, of a bedpivotally mountedin said support and having a rearward extension, ears or lugs on said extension, vertically; disposed arms pivoted to said ears or lugs, and a transverse bar carried b said arms and having its ends engaging sai frames.

5. In a folding bed, the combination with the support having vertically movable weight carrying frames in its opposite Walls, and cross heads at the tops of said frames, of a bed pivotally mounted in said support and having a rearward extension, ears or lugs on said extension, vertically disposed arms pivoted to said ears or lugs, a transverse bar carried by said arms, and plate springs on the upper edge of said bar at or near its ends, such ends extending into said frames and the said cross heads of the latter resting on said plate springs.

6. In a folding bed, the combination with the support having vertically movable weight oarryin frames in its 0 posite walls, and cross-hea s at the tops of said frames having depending guides, of a bed pivotally mounted in said support and having a rearward extension, ears or lugs on said extension, vertically disposed arms pivoted to said earsor lugs, and a transverse bar carried b said arms and having its ends extende into said frames beneath said cross heads and between the guides of the latter.

' '7. In a folding bed, a frame or support, a bed, pivoted therein and having a rearward extension, a head-board pivotally mounted at its upper edge and desi ned to assume a vertical position when sai bed is in its u per or closed position, and arms rigid on sai extension and projected upwardly and forwardly or toward the foot of thebed, and designed when said bed is in its lower or open position to engage said head board and hold 1t in an inclined position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NATHAN SILVERSON.

Witnesses: v

GRAFTON L. MoGrLL, JAMES L. ONEILL. 

